3 ways to lift your mood

Tired and grumpy and it's not even Monday?

Your postural habits may be to blame.

Feeling slumped, chin down, eyes downcast creates a negative body position, before we even start to consider how uncomfortable it is! Poor posture can lead to nerve and muscle pain, breathing difficulties and headaches. And when you're not feeling your best physically this has a big effect on your emotional side too.

I know when I've got a headache or my back hurts it makes me irritable before any real issues come along.

Here are some quick posture tips to feel more confident and energetic right now!

Top 3 Tips to Lift Your Mood

1. Commute to work with a strong posture - if you're sitting for most of your journey, in the car or on the train then make sure your chair is high enough, adjust your mirrors and make sure you're sitting tall. I mostly don't have this problem as I have to stand up on London transport! But even so, making sure you're standing up straight, not slumping your shoulders or locking out your knees is something to think about.

2. Move more during the day - we all know this one! Taking the stairs, getting up to grab a glass or water or have that meeting standing up- but next time take an extra moment to focus on maintaining an upright posture as you go up the stairs. You may be surprised how much better you can breathe at the top!

3. Take a break - stop what you're doing every 30-45 minutes, get out of the chair, stand tall and focus on breathing deeply, bringing your shoulders down and your head high. Interrupting my work that often is pretty difficult if I'm honest, and would probably get me some weird looks from the rest of the office! But I'm going to try and think about it when I'm nipping to the toilet, or waiting for the kettle to boil...

Have you noticed your posture affects your mood?

Beki x

NB: As an OM Yoga Magazine blogger I write a blog post every month inspired by the magazine content, in exchange for a digital subscription.